


Tomato Gardens

by IvyBlooms



Series: Next Generation [10]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Comparing your daughter to a tomato, Family, Fluff, Gen, Next Gen, Next Generation, One Shot, Oneshot, Papa!Sasuke, but Sasuke tries, probably not the best approach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-27 10:05:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7613860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvyBlooms/pseuds/IvyBlooms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sarada was nothing like a flower but apparently she was exactly like a tomato, according to papa.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tomato Gardens

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovelies. For the longest time I chose to keep my Naruto 'next gen' drabbles/onshots on Tumblr only but recently I've decided that I will compile them here on A03 into a series. One of my favorites that I've written for this series. I hope you enjoy!

Sarada watched with childish disgust as her parents shared a soft kiss in the kitchen after she had gone to ‘wash up’. Her father had just returned earlier that afternoon, much to both her and her mother’s surprise. They had been in the garden digging up some weeds to make room for the tomato plants they planned to grow for Sarada’s father. It was a bonding exercise of sorts that she and her mother participated in each spring in order to build patience, work ethic, and food skills. Or at least that’s what her mother told her everytime she complained about being dragged out into the brisk air every day to tend to the developing plants.

Sarada had no interest in gardening or flowers. In fact, when the time came for all the female academy students to learn the art of flower arranging and how to utilize their natural, or supposed natural, feminine qualities to blend in, Sarada had made it a point to skip, until her mother found out and threatened to sit in on the class with her if she continued to ditch.

“It’s stupid, mama!” She had insisted the day her mother received a rather strongly worded letter from Shino-sensei about her missed classes. “I hate flowers, they’re so girly and I don’t know anything about them. Plus, the sensei makes all the girls wear smelly perfumes and tie up their hair like we do for festivals. I hate it!”

Her mother had responded with a deep frown. “Maybe if you went to class, you would learn to appreciate these skills that will help when you become a true kunoichi. I had to sit through those lessons too you know and I didn’t exactly care for them either.”

Sarada had attempted to argue again but her mother had silenced her with a deathly stare and a warning to go to class  or else.

Sarada stepped away from the kitchen and made a beeline for the backdoor with led out into a small vegetable garden. Sarada hated that old patch of dirt and she several times, purposefully, knocked down the gate that kept out the rabbits and strays and watched from her bedroom window as the little animals invaded and dug up the vegetables that had been planted there. Unfortunately, Sarada’s mother was not one to be easily discouraged by a few scavenging pests and she simply dragged Sarada out of bed early the next morning to clear away the ruined crops and replant the new ones. Sarada stopped knocking down the fence after three times of being forced awake before the sun rose to dig up dead tomato plants with her overly cheerful mother as her only company.

Sarada kneeled down in the dirt, still damp from the morning’s sprinkle of rain, and she fingered the green leaves of her tomato plants. They had just been planted a little over a month ago and were growing at a fine pace, or so her mother had said after they had checked on them.

“Your papa is going to love them!” Sakura had squealed girlishly. “You know how much he adores tomatoes, though he won’t say as much.”

Sarada agreed on the subject of her father’s love for tomatoes, but it didn’t mean she enjoyed the hard labor any more than she had before. Sarada had mentioned simply going to the market and stocking up on the red fruits before her father arrived home instead of spending months perfecting the plants in their yard. Sarada had received yet another silencing look from her mother and she ceased to argue.

“What are you doing out here, Sarada?”

Sarada peered over her shoulder and found her father staring down at her with his towering height. Sarada hoped she inherited his lengthy build rather than her mother’s shorter one just so that she could become that much taller than Bolt and rub it in his smug face.

“Checking on the tomato plants.” Sarada offered as an explanation. She really didn’t know why she’d come out other than her house had suddenly felt suffocating with all the gooey affection and touches that her parents exchanged when they thought she wasn’t looking.

Sasuke kneeled down beside Sarada and placed a hand on her head, ruffling her feathery hair like one would a dog. Sarada didn’t mind, she leaned into his warm hand and sighed. She had been craving her papa’s careful and gentle touches for a long while. Sarada loved her mother, she truly did, but sometimes she just didn’t understand Sarada in the way that her papa could.

“Mama told me about the garden you two started.” Sasuke revealed. “She said you two are bonding with it.”

Sarada leaned her head on her father’s shoulder and sighed again. “She says that’s what it’s for but I think she just wants me to find a hobby that doesn’t involve sparring with Bolt and Inojin.”

Sasuke chuckled at his daughter’s intuition (because she was completely correct in her assumption) and wrapped his arm around her tiny waist, pulling her closer to him and scooping her up like she weighed nothing, though to him she probably didn’t. Sarada could feel the hard muscles beneath his sleeves, they seemed to grow with each visit. Sarada felt safe encased in that strong arm, her papa had no need for two.

“Mama also told me that you’ve been skipping lessons at the Academy.” Sasuke finally admitted after several seconds of comfortable silence. “Is that true?”

Sarada was quiet and she felt the importance of her answer weighing down on her. Rarely did her father ever scold her and when he did, it was only ever when she’d done something dangerous that had scared him. Sasuke Uchiha was a difficult man to rattle but nothing did a better and quicker job of it than the thought of some misfortune befalling his only child.

“All the girls have to attend flower arranging classes and formal dress lessons.” Sarada explained carefully, choosing her words as if one wrong one could be her end. Words were Sarada’s weapon of choice since she wielded them so finely like her father did a sword and her mother a fist. “I hate dressing up in fancy kimonos and having my hair done up. And flower arranging is so boring and I can’t do it right. The other girls laugh at me sometimes because I have no ‘color coordination’ or whatever.” Sarada saw her father’s eye twitch. He hated when she said things like ‘whatever’ or ‘stuff’. He didn’t like vague terms and he always asked that Sarada be truthful and direct with him.

“That does sound like an awful way to spend your time.” Sasuke, much to Sarada’s surprise, said.

Sarada couldn’t help but feel like she was being pulled into some sort of unavoidable trap. “I know. I told mama but she doesn’t understand. She told me to go anyway or she was going to sit in class with me.”

“Ah, yes. I heard about that too.” Sasuke chuckled and Sarada blushed.

“You’re supposed to be on my side, papa.” Sarada huffed cutely, causing her father to just laugh even more. “Besides, mama is too busy at the hospital. She wouldn’t really do that.”

Sasuke let out a grunt and kissed his daughter’s forehead gently with warm lips. “Trust me, she would make time.”

Sarada pouted in silence as her father rearranged them so that he sat with his legs folded and Sarada laid comfortably in his lap with her back against his chest. When the two were situated, Sasuke wrapped his arm across Sarada’s front and pulled her up against him like she was a treasure to be protected at all costs.

“You know, Sarada, you can’t skip your lessons. You will miss out on important material which will aid you in your career as a kunoichi.” Sasuke lectured blandly. “Unless of course, you don’t want to become a kunoichi anymore?” He left it as a question and Sarada was quick to answer.

“Of course I want to be a kunoichi!” Sarada shouted indignantly, as if her father had just delivered a most offensive insult.

Sasuke nodded, a hint of a proud grin on his face. “Then you must attend your lessons.” And that was that.

The father and daughter pair sat at the edge of the tomato garden, gazing at the fiery red food that now hung limply from the tall stems. Sarada had to admit, never to her mother though, that she did foster a bit of pride at how juicy and plump the fruits looked. She was even a bit excited for next week when they could finally pick them. Sarada had also secretly been stashing recipe cards, borrowed from ChouChou, in a box under her bed.

“This garden looks lovely, Sarada.” Her father breathed. “Just like you.”

Sarada giggled at her father’s comparison. Something she had noticed was that her papa wasn’t exactly the best at assembling compliments. “Most girl would rather be compared to a flower garden, papa, not a tomato garden.”

“Hn, really?” He didn’t seem to understand and shrugged.

Sarada smiled. “That’s okay though. I’m nothing like a flower anyway.”

“And why do you say that?”

Sarada gave her father the most quizzical look she could muster before answering. “Because I’m just….not? I don’t like to wear dresses or play with dolls or squeal at boys.”

Sarada saw an instant flash of relief on her papa’s face though she didn’t really understand what it was for.

“Boys are evil anyway. You’re not missing out on anything, Sarada.” Sasuke said quickly. “Besides, you are more like a tomato than a flower.”

Sarada was deathly silent for a moment before asking, “Papa, did you just compare me to a tomato? Because that’s not really any better.”

Sasuke shared her silence before quickly amending his statement. “Tomatoes are an acquired taste. Very few people appreciate them at first glance and even fewer find it in themselves to enjoy them at first taste. Only very special people can learn to truly admire and treasure such a refined fruit.”

Despite the oddity of the comparison in which her father utilized, Sarada could see what he was going for and she decided to reward him for his attempt. She placed a delicate kiss on the tip of his nose, which was a bit difficult considering their current position, and she smiled up at him.

“I love you, papa.” She whispered.

He smiled and squeezed her close.


End file.
